Snapchat launches Imagine Lens for text to image creation

Snapchat’s Imagine Lens brings open-prompt image generation to paid tiers

Snapchat is rolling out Imagine Lens, a new text-to-image AI Lens that lets subscribers type prompts to create, edit, and recreate Snaps. The feature is currently available only to Snapchat+ Platinum and Lens+ members and appears in the front of the Lens Carousel or the Exclusive category.

Users can write custom prompts like “create an image of a grumpy cat” or “turn me into an alien,” choose from pre-loaded templates such as multi-panel comics or caricatures, and then edit the prompt via the caption bar before generating. Finished images can be shared in chats, posted to Stories, or exported off-platform.

Snap says Imagine Lens is its first open prompt image generation Lens. While the company has announced a mobile-friendly research model for text-to-image and uses a mixture of in-house and third-party models across Lenses, Snap did not confirm which specific model powers this launch.

What Imagine Lens does

• Generate images from free-text prompts and pre-loaded templates
• Edit prompts on the fly via the caption bar and recreate variations
• Share results inside Snapchat or export them beyond the app

Why this matters

Snap’s move is a clear step toward productizing generative image tools for mainstream social use. Locking open-prompt generation behind premium tiers does two things: it creates a monetization path for creative AI, and it helps control rollout to a smaller, paying audience where Snap can monitor usage and iterate faster.

At the same time, broader availability raises familiar safety and policy questions — deepfake misuse, copyrighted content, and prompt engineering that generates harmful imagery. Snap’s mixed-model approach suggests it will blend proprietary safeguards with best-in-class capabilities from outside vendors.

• Monetization: premium subscription revenue for creative features
• Safety: content moderation, identity and copyright controls are required

Broader context and next steps

Snap has been building both AR and AI tooling for years. Recent launches — a Lens Studio mobile app and video generative Lenses — point to a strategy of embedding AI-assisted creativity across product surfaces. Imagine Lens is another instance of social platforms shifting from curated editing tools to generative content creation.

For developers, brands, and public agencies evaluating generative features, the immediate questions are practical: Which models to use, how to price access, what moderation pipelines are needed, and how to measure downstream effects on engagement and retention.

How organizations should respond

• Run small pilot rollouts with premium user groups to validate creative value and moderation needs
• Map model selection to cost, latency, and safety controls rather than choosing on novelty alone

Snapchat’s Imagine Lens is an important indicator of where mainstream social creativity is headed: flexible generative tools, paid access tiers, and a heavier operational focus on keeping AI-driven content safe and engaging. Expect more platforms to test similar paywalled creative capabilities as they chase both engagement and new revenue streams.

QuarkyByte approaches developments like this from product, policy, and measurement angles: we help teams pick models that balance cost and quality, design guardrails that scale, and build metrics to prove business impact.